Just when I thought my interest in “The Walking Dead” had bitten the dust for good, it rises again, wonderfully ravenous and impatient for more.

Judging by the first two episodes of season three, which debuts at 8 tonight on AMC, the horror series is back to making us feel, well, horrified. Zombie attacks and juicy character conflicts are complemented by a suspenseful tension from scene to scene that makes the skin truly crawl.

We also get moments of welcome relief, including an amusing flirtation between an unlikely pair, Carol (Melissa McBride) — the formerly mousy mom/abused wife who's starting to come into her own now — and street-smart, survival savvy and generally hunky Daryl (Norman Reedus).

New characters promise to add even more friction and flavor. One is Michonne (Danai Gurira), an enigmatic stranger whose Amazonian looks and fighting skills — her weapon of choice is a katana sword — and baffling companions (two armless zombies in shackles) make her an ideal costume choice for Halloween. After she rescues Andrea (Laurie Holden) — who had separated from the group — from a zombie attack, the pair forms a powerful bond.

I'm not what you'd call a die-hard “Walking Dead” fan. I never read the comics, and I gave up on the series' second round when I was less than midway through.

I did, however, fall in love with the show's introductory season: Its scene-setting zombie apocalypse and intriguing band of very different characters led by former sheriff Rick Grimes (the Gary Cooperesque Andrew Lincoln) and united by the need to survive.

I found myself yawning, however, through initial episodes of the second season, which was primarily set on Hershel Greene's (Scott Wilson) farm and which moved at a snail's pace. Eventually, I did see the finale, which I urge you also to watch — it will air right before Sunday's premiere as part of an all-day “Dead” marathon — in preparation for the current season.

In the new episodes, we catch up with the characters after they've left the farm and hit the perilous road. Our gang of 10 finally finds a safe haven of sorts — ironically, it's a prison — that promises everything from weapons to food to medical supplies. However, they must clear out hordes of zombies before they can safely barricade themselves inside.

Though the bloody wipeout of these undead creatures keeps things moving, I'm more fascinated by the battles between humans: our protagonists and the flesh-and-blood “monsters” they encounter. Among these are longtime prisoners who have managed to survive for months after been locked in the cafeteria by now-dead guards. Will they prove dangerous to Rick and his group or will they do as they're told — live amicably among them in another part of the prison?

The human villain I'm looking most forward to — who, alas, still hadn't shown up in the two episodes I previewed — is the Governor. He's the charismatic leader of Woodbury, a seemingly utopian community that the Governor built from the ground up. He establishes control over the residents by protecting them from walkers and providing them with shelter, food and leadership; however, it's well known among “Walking Dead” comic fans that he eventually will be established as a fearsome figure who has become drunk with power.

My interest is piqued even more by the choice to play him: David Morrissey, whose unforgettable performances as showboating casino owner Ripley in BBC America's “Viva Blackpool,” and, more recently, as the sympathetic other “Doctor” in a “Doctor Who” Christmas special, have convinced me he's one of the unrecognized greats of our time.